Told You So
by BlackBeauty613
Summary: You just had to do it. You had to go off and leave behind the one who truly cares about you. You knew that you would end up in pain, but still chose to leave me. And now you want to come back. I hate to say it, but I told you so. Two part songfic.
1. Troy's Party

**This is a little different than the rest of my songfics/oneshots. It has 2 parts to it. The song isn't in this part, but it will be in the second. This is just like an intro into what's happening.**

**As much as I **_**hate **_**to do this, this has some Troypay in it. I won't make Sharpay be all over Troy, but you'll know that she's in it. I didn't want her to be in a relationship with Troy, but it just didn't feel right making him go out with anyone else. And since he's not going out with Gabriella (spoiler) there's no one else but her. Don't worry. She's not the mean witch most people think she is :D Enjoy.**

* * *

You just had to do it. You had to go off and leave behind the one who truly cares about you. You knew that you would end up in pain, but still chose to leave me.

And now you want to come back.

I hate to say it, but I told you so.

Don't even try to deny it because I know you remember me saying it. My exact words were "If you get into that car, don't even think about coming back here! You know that this will just screw your life up, so why are you even trying?! You're believing his lie! So when he breaks your heart, don't say I didn't tell you so!"

I felt so bad at the time, but I got over it. I knew that you would get what you deserved, so why get more pain from me? It wouldn't make sense. Just like this situation...

**FLASHBACK (3 Years)**

_Gabriella stood at Troy's door, just staring at the wooden frame. She felt as though her heart was carrying a 2 ton load right now. She didn't want to do this, but she had no choice. It was what was best for her._

_She took a deep breath and knocked on the door. Just as she thought, she was soon met with those crystal blue eyes that she fell in love with a year ago. Troy smiled at her and greeted "Hey Gabby. What are you doing here?" He leaned in to kiss her, but he pulled back abruptly. He stared at her with confused eyes._

"_Okayy..." he dragged "Do you...uhh...wanna come in? It's raining."_

_Gabriella shook her head and whispered "This won't take long. I have to talk to you. Can you come out here for a second?"_

_Troy reluctantly nodded and stepped out into the rain. Gabriella's knees weakened as she saw him become drenched in the raindrops, his hair becoming plastered to his head and his eyes standing out more than ever._

"_What's going on?" he concerned, not seeming to be bothered by the rain._

_Gabriella took another deep breath and confessed "Troy, we have to break up."_

"_What?" Troy said, shock flashing through his eyes._

"_We have to break up." Gabriella repeated "We can't date anymore." _

_Troy's mouth dropped to the ground. He must've heard wrong. This had to be a mistake. He wasn't hearing his girlfriend of one year break up with him. It was impossible._

"_I'm gonna go ahead and pretend that you aren't saying this..." he said without blinking._

_Gabriella held her ground with confidence and replied "Well believe it. I can't be with you anymore."_

"_You better have a good reason for doing this Gabby." Troy told her, dropping his shoulders along with all his defenses._

_Gabriella rolled her eyes and irritably said "Do I honestly need a reason?"_

"_It would make more sense if you did." Troy asked, annoyed with her reply._

_Gabriella flipped her soaked hair and said "I met someone else."_

_Troy felt his heart break in two and all the annoyance he felt for her melt away. She met someone else? _

"_Who?"_

"_Josh Greystone."_

_Troy cringed. Josh Greystone was the school playboy. He had every girl under his control and power, even the taken ones. He wowed everyone with his charm until you went on a date with him. You would wish you never met him then._

"_You're joking..." Troy whispered._

"_Nope." Gabriella bluntly said, checking out her nails._

_The anger returned to Troy's body. She was acting like this wasn't a big deal._

"_Gabriella, you can't go out with that monster." Troy demanded, his eyes darkening._

_Gabriella rolled her eyes and replied "And since when do you control my life?"_

_Troy shook his head "You know exactly what you're getting yourself into. I'm not gonna let you get hurt. If it was anyone else, yeah I'd get over it but not with Josh. I can't let you do this to yourself. He's too dangerous."_

_Gabriella scoffed "Troy, he's changed! He's not the same pervert he was a while ago! He changed for me."_

_Troy froze. "How long ago did he 'change'?"_

"_Last month."_

_Troy shut his eyes and took a deep, shaky breath. Gabriella's been cheating on him for a month. Those words rang like a fire bell in his head. He couldn't believe it._

"_Whatever. We're breaking up, but I still refuse to let you get hurt by him."_

_Gabriella sighed "Troy, just accept the fact that I've found someone who treats me better."_

_Troy's head shot up like a rocket. "What did you say?" he seethed lowly._

_Gabriella took a few steps back when she saw his eyes change shades. The last time they were this color, he put someone in the hospital. "Yeah, I said it. He doesn't pressure me to sleep with him, he doesn't ignore me or act annoyed when I vent about girl stuff, and he doesn't blow off dates to hang out with his friends!"_

_Troy shot back with fire "Gabriella, the only time you vented to me was when I was sick and that time that I ditched you was the time of the national basketball awards! I tried calling you to cancel our date, but you wouldn't pick up! Plus, you canceled plenty of dates! Remember the time you canceled because you wanted to watch a stupid Paris Hilton movie that would be on the next day anyway?! _**(No offense to any fans, but I can't stand her)**

_Gabriella replied nastily "What about sleeping with you huh?! Remember last week when we just had a simple kiss and you threw me down on your bed?! Then that time last month when you tried to undo my jeans! What do you have to say about that?!"_

_Troy quickly yelled "I didn't throw you down on the bed! I lost all feeling in my knees because you were so beautiful that day and fell on top of you! And that time when I was 'undoing your jeans' was me trying to hook onto your belt straps to pull you closer to me! I would never pressure any girl to do something she didn't want to do!"_

_Gabriella couldn't help but feel touched when he called her beautiful. But she had to pursue this. It was for her safety and his as well._

"_Bullshit Troy. You were nothing but a horny teenage jock who was just trying to use me! Well I'm not gonna take it anymore! We're over! Now if you'll excuse me, I have a date with Josh!" With that, she stomped over to her car and put her hand on the handle._

_She stopped dead when Troy shouted __"If you get into that car, don't even think about coming back here! You know that this will just screw your life up, so why are you even trying?! You're believing his lie! So when he breaks your heart, don't say I didn't tell you so!"_

_No matter how much she wanted to take up that offer, Gabriella had to refuse it. She couldn't risk getting Troy hurt. This was for the best. He would thank her later._

_Knowing that the rain would cover for her, Gabriella let her long awaited tears fall down her face as she opened the car door and stepped inside it. _

_Troy felt tears of his own forming in his eyes as he just simply blinked them away. How could she do this to herself? He knew that she would get hurt and she obviously knew that too, so why was she doing this?_

_Troy felt his heart break in two as he watched her drive down the road, not once looking back. She would get hurt. She would run back to him when she did. He knew that. But no matter how much he wanted to take her back, he had to teach her a lesson. He couldn't take her back. He wouldn't take her back. He promised himself that as he tore off his promise ring that the two had exchanged 2 months ago when they finally told each other that they loved each other._

_Troy prepared to throw it in the garbage can beside him, but couldn't find the heart to do it. Instead, he trudged up to his room and looked at the vase of flowers that his mom required him to have in there. He walked over to it and let the ring slide down the stem of the most beautiful rose in the bunch. It was Gabriella's favorite as well as his. He knew it was feminine on his part, but he refused to get rid of it. His room wouldn't seem like him if threw them out. _

_After taking a long hot shower, he changed into his pajama pants and left his upper body bare as he crawled into bed. Before drifting into sleep, he whispered "Don't say I didn't tell you so..."_

--

...5 Years Later...**  
**

October 18th, 2013. Otherwise known as Troy's 23rd birthday. It's been 5 years since he and Gabriella's nasty break up and on Troy's part, things were going great. He still missed his ex, but the day after the two split, his best friend Chad made him promise to move on and show Gabriella how wrong she was to break up with him. 2 months later, he met Sharpay Evans. She was young, blonde, and beautiful. She was nice to almost everyone she met and stole Troy's heart within a matter of months. He had proposed to her on Sharpay's 22rd birthday and were planned to be married in 2 weeks.

Troy's blue eyes fluttered open and he smiled as he witnessed a mass of blonde hair sleeping beside him. He leaned over and kissed her forehead, knowing that she would wake now. Sharpay was an extremely light sleeper.

Just as expected, Sharpay's brown eyes slowly opened to meet Troy's ultramarine ones. She smiled and croaked "Morning gorgeous."

Troy planted a small kiss on her lips "Morning beautiful. Don't talk. Your voice will just get worse." He replied, referring to her strep throat.

Sharpay pouted and rolled her eyes, not saying anything else. She rolled over and buried her head back under the covers, taking a deep breath. She hated being sick. When she was sick, she couldn't greet Troy in the morning like she usually did. A sweet kiss and loving words that came from the heart.

Troy grinned at her behavior and rolled out of the bed, stretching his tense muscles. He threw a t-shirt over his head and headed downstairs to prepare breakfast in bed for his ill fiancé. 10 minutes later, he found himself carrying a plate of 4 strips of bacon, scrambled eggs, and French toast with orange juice. Her favorite.

"Surprise, surprise." He smiled, setting the plate down on her nightstand. Sharpay gasped, the aroma of the food filling her nose. "Oh Troy, it's-" she was cut off by his lips on her own. "No talking, remember?" he teased. Sharpay just stuck her tongue out at him with a helpless grin.

She grabbed the plate and smiled at it. He had arranged the plate just the way she liked it. The French toast as the face, 2 scoops of the eggs as eyes, 1 scoop as a nose, a strip of bacon as the bacon, and the other three strips as hair.

"I love you." She squeaked, throwing her arms around his neck.

Troy hugged her back and whispered "I love you too Shar. More than you know..."

**--**

That night, Sharpay had convinced Troy to allow her to attend his birthday party that she and his friends were throwing for him that night. He was reluctant to let her out sick, but with a few irresistible kisses to the neck, he was sold.

Troy took a deep breath and checked himself out one last time in the mirror. He viewed his black dress shirt with thin white stripes and rolled up sleeves. Adding to that was his dark blue jeans and his golden chain that Sharpay had given to him for Christmas. He drowned his hair in gel and spiked his bangs, giving him that fun-loving teenage look. All in all, he looked hot.

"Show time." He winked to himself in the mirror before heading downstairs and turning the corner. The first thing he saw was the two brown eyes that he fell in love with years ago. Sharpay made her way over to her fiancé and croaked "Ready to go?"

Troy kissed the tip of her nose and teased "Talk any more and I'll keep you here as punishment. I don't want your beautiful voice to be destroyed any more."

Sharpay rolled her eyes and slapped his chest, not saying anything else. She raised her hand after a few seconds. Troy rolled his own eyes and said "What now?"

"Your parents are here." Sharpay whispered with a smile.

Troy smiled back and asked "Where?"

Sharpay turned around and pointed to her future parents in law. Lucy beamed and rushed over to her son, burying him in a tight hug. "My baby boy is turning 23! How exciting is this?!"

Troy fought his way out of his mother's grasp and said "Not that exciting. I'm another year closer to death. Yipee..."

Lucy rolled her eyes. Jack smiled at his son and said "Hey champ. Looking off the birthday subject, you excited about your wedding?"

Troy's eyes lit up at the thought of marrying Sharpay. "Are you kidding? I've been waiting and waiting for the perfect girl and now she's standing right behind me. How can you not be excited about that? I love her so much."

Jack gave him a manly hug and replied "That's my boy..."

10 minutes later, the four pulled up to the hotel that Troy's party was being held at. Troy smiled at the sight of all the cars parked outside the building.

"This is so awesome!" he said to Sharpay. Sharpay just smiled back and kissed him lightly, giving off the impression that she wasn't allowed to say anything.

"Oh Troy, there's one more thing that we need to tell you about tonight." Lucy started with a worried look on her face.

"What is it?"

Lucy sighed "We invited some friends of ours and they're bringing their son. He's engaged and the fiancé is coming too."

"You say that like it's a bad thing." Troy suspiciously said, getting worried. "What, do I know these guys or something?"

"They went to your school."

"Who are they?"

"I'll tell you when they get here. They told me that they would call when they walked in because it's so packed." With that, Lucy got out of the car and walked up to the hotel.

Troy whispered to Sharpay "I have a feeling I should be worried."

Sharpay stroked Troy's hand soothingly and smiled warmly, mouthing "Don't worry."

Troy nodded and got out of the car, helping Sharpay do the same. They walked into the building hand in hand, not knowing what was in store for either of them.

**--**

"...And then he just threw the sub in the air and screamed 'Screw this! I quit!'!" The entire table burst into a laughing fit at Chad's story. Troy got a hold of himself and asked "What did his wife do about it?"

Chad replied "They had a huge fight about it and she left him for some old rich dude. He ended up working at a box company for the rest of his life."

Troy once again laughed, not noticing his nervous mother creeping up behind him. She tapped him on the shoulder and lightly smiled "Troy, can you come with me please? There's someone I'd like you to meet."

Troy nodded and dismissed himself from his circle of friends from high school. He walked over to his parents' table and sat down next to Sharpay, who looked very pale at the moment. This worried Troy. Troy asked her "What's wrong honey?"

Sharpay shook her head as if saying "Nothing." But still remained pale.

Troy nodded slowly, not fully believing her. He turned to his mother and cleared his throat "Mom, who did you want me to meet?"

Lucy gave her son a nervous smile and stuttered "T-Troy, you already know these two from high school. I'd like you to meet your father's boss, Mr. Ben...Greystone."

It was now Troy's turn to pale. _Greystone..._

"...t-they have a son..." Lucy continued, noticing Troy's facial change.

_Please don't let his name start with a J..._

"...and he's engaged to a beautiful young woman named-"

"Troy!" came a sudden call. Troy closed his eyes. He didn't need to see the face the voice belonged to.

"Josh." He whispered more to himself than to anyone else. He finally turned around and automatically spotted a petite brunette behind hiding behind the former football star.

Josh gave a cocky grin and crooned "Wow, look at you. You look older than 23." He lightly punched Troy's rock hard arm. Josh sneered "Those guns are getting pretty soft there champ. Might wanna start working out some more. Don't wanna ward off the ladies."

Troy gave a sarcastic smile. He saw the person behind Josh peek out and give him a sad gaze with her chocolate brown eyes.

Troy cleared his throat again and said "So, I heard you were engaged. Who's the lucky bride-to-be? Can't wait to meet her."

Josh gave an evil smile as he growled "Oh, you two have already met. Matter of fact, you met long before I met her. Do you remember some chick named Gabriella Montez?"

"_I know a woman named Gabriella Montez, not some cheap chick..."_ Troy thought to himself, trying to hold back a glare. He pretended to think for a second before nodding "Yeah, I think I do. Why?" he already knew the answer.

Josh gave a menacing laugh as he pulled out the person behind him.

Brown met with blue for the first time in 5 years. Troy stared at the beautiful young woman in front of him and she stared back. Her brown curls matched her eyes and her tanned skin showed lots of signs of makeup. Just like any Josh victim would wear...

"Hello Gabriella..." Troy whispered, digging his hands in his pockets and trying to keep his cool when really, he was screaming inside "LEAVE!! THIS IS MY PARTY!! GET OUT!!"

"Hi Troy..."

* * *

**Part 2 out soon! REVIEW!! Thnx :)**

**Rachel :)**


	2. Told You So

**Hey guys! Thanks for all the awesome reviews! Here's part 2! I must warn you that I'm going against all the couples I support in this short story. Troypay and Ryella?! I make myself sick...**

* * *

**Lookin' at you now I can tell  
That you and your new relationship ain't goin' well**

The air tensed. Josh stood there smirking to himself as he watched Troy's eyes burn holes in his fiancé's flesh. Gabriella stood there with teary eyes and a light smile.

"Wow, it's...uhh...great to see you again Troy. What's it been? 5 years?" Gabriella spoke up awkwardly.

Troy just nodded slowly and stiffly, not believing that his ex girlfriend was standing right in front of him. "Yeah, it's been a long time."

"How've you been?" Gabriella asked, eyeing Sharpay.

Troy grinned evilly. He didn't know why, but he felt a strong rage for Gabriella and wanted to show her how well he's been doing and that their break up didn't affect him at all.

He pulled Sharpay into his arms and announced "Great! I'm actually engaged." Sharpay just smiled nervously, knowing what her fiancé was doing.

Gabriella blinked quickly, obviously hiding her tears. She felt a hand graze her butt and piped up "Y-yeah, so am I. Great, isn't it?"

Troy kissed Sharpay's neck hungrily and finalized "Oh, you have no idea..."

Gabriella's gaze flew to the floor, not being able to handle the sight in front of her.

She heard Sharpay giggle at a comment that Troy probably made and kissed him lovingly on the lips. Gabriella closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She just had to get through tonight. Oh who was she kidding? She'd be lucky if she lasted through the week.

"I'm gonna go get something to drink..." she whimpered, running off to the bathroom in tears.

When she arrived in a stall, she collapsed on her knees and emptied her dinner back into the toilet. Troy and Sharpay just made her sick to her stomach. She couldn't stand to see someone else all over her man. Troy was hers. He always used to tell her that.

Used to. Before she broke up with him. She ended it. It was all her fault. If only she hadn't fallen for Josh's false charm and secretly sarcastic words, she wouldn't be in this mess. She just wished that she could rewind time and tell Troy the truth before he never spoke to her again. They saw each other in the hallway, but never locked eyes or gave the faintest smile. They just pushed past each other as though they weren't even there. If Troy was smiling and laughing, his eyes would darken back to the color they were when they broke up. The darkest, cloudiest blue imaginable. If he was depressed, he would just feel worse when he saw her. This just made her all the more miserable.

When she finished vomiting, she slumped to the sinks and re-glossed her lips. Josh always commanded that she wear makeup. Apparently, she was too ugly to go without it. At first, she didn't believe it. Everyone always told her that makeup would just cover up her beautiful features, but after 5 years of hearing it, she eventually believed Josh. Even when he wasn't around, she felt self conscious and brought out her makeup bag. She was a complete mess without Troy.

Back at the table, Troy sat down in a chair with Sharpay perched on his knee. Her head had fallen into his shoulder and he was resting his chin in her hair. Troy bit his tongue to prevent from smiling when he saw Gabriella shuffle back to them. Troy maneuvered his hand a little bit up Sharpay's short dress and lowered his other arm lower on her back, nearly touching her butt. Sharpay gave him a sharp glare, but didn't protest.

"So where was I?" Josh continued his never-existing story. "Oh yeah. Troy, how often do you and Blondie over there get nasty?"

Troy glared at Josh and sarcastically answered "Enough."

"Meaning never?"

"At least once a week," Sharpay croaked, looking up at Troy "He's just so irresistible. Matter of fact, we did it last night." Troy blushed, knowing it was true. The pink in his face disappeared when he saw the jealous look on Gabriella's face.

Josh nodded "Nice. So is that why you're so hoarse?"

"Yeah."

"Wow. Must've had one hell of a time."

"Oh, this is nothing. You should've heard us on Valentines Day."

"So," Gabriella spoke up, interrupting the dirty talk "Sharpay. What do you do for a living?"

"She's head of a fashion association," Troy answered for Sharpay, not wanting her to speak anymore. "Every heard of Double-0-Evans? Her and her brother own it." Sharpay wore a smug grin and glared at Josh, who had a surprised look on his face.

"Wow," Gabriella smiled "I love that store. Half the things in my closet are from there."

Sharpay nodded, slightly proud but mostly annoyed. She knew that Gabriella was just kissing up. "Yeah, Troy's wearing a design right now. He gets them for free since he's my husband-to-be."

"So you design men's clothing?" Josh teased "There's a shock."

Sharpay curled her fists and shot back "Can't you hear? I run it with my brother. He designs men's clothing and I design the woman's."

Troy rolled his eyes at the showdown that was going on between his fiancé and his former high school enemy. Josh always tried to pick a fight with someone and Sharpay always took the threats. Did he mention that these two were the ones who were constantly fighting in the hallway?

His thoughts were interrupted by a weight being lifted off of his knee. His eyes widened as he saw Sharpay get up and stomp over to Josh. Troy practically jumped out of his chair and grabbed Sharpay just in time to prevent her from punching Josh in the jaw.

"Shar," Troy said worriedly, for her face was still red with rage "Let's go find Kelsi and Ryan. I'm sure that they can...calm you down."

"Watch your back Greystone!" Sharpay shouted hoarsely "I'll get you one day!"

"I'd love to see you try Evans." Josh finished, turning away and walking to the dance floor.

When he disappeared into the crowd, Troy let Sharpay's feet touch the ground and let go of her waist, exhaling the breath that he had been holding for a few minutes.

"Sorry," Sharpay apologized. She wasn't even trying to whisper and you could barely hear her. "I got kind of-"

Troy swooped down and kissed her lips. "If I hear your voice any more tonight, no sex for 2 weeks." Sharpay's eyes widened. She pretended to zip her lips and 'handed Troy the key'.

Troy nodded approvingly and grabbed her hand, leading her onto the dance floor. He picked a spot that was right in front of Gabriella, who was sitting alone. Jack and Lucy had gone to dance and Josh was dancing with random people. Troy smiled when he saw Gabriella watch them with sorrow and envy in her eyes, but couldn't ignore that pang of guilt deep in the pit of his stomach...

--

...The Next Morning...

Troy's eyes opened slowly the next morning, looking around the room. He checked himself under the covers and grinned. He was naked. Just as he remembered. Sharpay hadn't talked the rest of the night, so he gave her a reward.

Troy sat up and rubbed his sleepy eyes, trying to wake himself up completely. He looked to his right and smiled. He swore that Sharpay got more and more beautiful every day. He didn't know what it was about her, but he was surely satisfied with it.

He lightly tapped her shoulder and watched her brown eyes meet his. She smiled and mouthed "Morning."

Troy leaned down and captured the blonde's lips in a sweet kiss. "Morning gorgeous. I'd love to chat, but we've gotta get ready for work."

Sharpay nodded sadly and got of the bed, feeling Troy's eyes on her bare body the whole way over to the bathroom.

An hour later, the two were ready for the day. They had both taken a shower together and after that, Troy got dressed while Sharpay did her hair and makeup.

While Troy was doing his hair in the bathroom, Sharpay maneuvered herself downstairs to prepare breakfast. She made the usual. A cheese omelet with two strips of bacon and orange juice.

15 minutes later, Sharpay and Troy were completely ready for the day. Sharpay had her purse and portfolio while Troy just had his charm. He didn't need anything since he was a male model for Abercrombie & Fitch.

"Bye baby." He kissed Sharpay goodbye.

Sharpay replied "Have a good day sweetheart." Her voice was getting better since she took a little more medicine than she had to.

They went to their respective cars and drove off to work.

**There's no reason your name should come up on my cell  
****Unless you're unhappy but that shouldn't be the case**

2 hours later, Troy was in the arms of a beautiful 20 year old girl. They were posing for the camera to show off a new t-shirt that they were about to sell. The girl, unlike the rest of them, seemed to understand that Troy was taken, so she wasn't all over him like the ones before had been.

5 minutes later, they were finished. Troy threw his own shirt over his head and told the girl "Thanks."

"For what?"

"For not being all over me like the other girls were. They don't understand the fact that I'm engaged."

The red-head laughed and replied "Don't worry. I have a boyfriend, so I'm technically in your position. All the guys are all over me a lot. I was actually going to thank you for that."

Troy shrugged "Well, I guess we're even..." His voice faded at the end of his sentence, realizing that he didn't know the girl's name.

"Channel." She smiled, holding out her hand.

Troy nodded with a friendly smile "Thanks Channel. I'm Troy."

"Nice to meet you Troy. I hope we see more of each other." Channel waved and walked off, on to her next photo shoot.

Troy was about to walk to his next one as well when he felt his phone vibrate in his pocket. He looked at the screen to see who it was, but it was a number that he didn't recognize.

"Hello?"

"H-hi Troy."

Troy froze. He would know that teary voice anywhere.

"How'd you get my number?" he asked, already having a pretty good clue.

"Chad."

"Of course."

"Can I talk to you?"

"About..."

"I mean can I talk to you face to face?"

Troy sighed "I'm at work."

"Fine. What about 7:00 at the lake?"

Troy tried to hide the groan that was about to escape his lips as he sighed "Fine. Goodbye Gabriella."

Gabriella replied "Bye Troy."

Before he fully hung up, he could've sworn that he heard a faint "I love you..." being whispered over the phone...

**'Cause you said, said he was the one  
Baby yes you said, said you were in love  
When you left me, you said that you wouldn't be  
Comin' back, remember that?  
****But I never agreed  
**  
Troy told Sharpay that he had to stay at work for an extra shoot until 7:30. She hated it when he skipped dinner, but agreed to it.

Troy made his way over to the lake by foot, not wanting to drive for a reason he didn't know himself. He walked over to the bench that was right in front of the water and sat down, gazing out at the water. Sharpay had told him that it's so clear, it resembled the color of his eyes.

In a few minutes, he heard the clinking of high heels behind him. He closed his eyes, not needing to see her face.

"Hi Troy." She whispered.

Troy stood up and turned to face her. He had to strain to not let his mouth drop. The room last night was dark, so he never got a full view of her face.

She was even more beautiful than he remembered. Her hair had grown back to its original length, making the haircut that she got in high school disappear. Her face showed, surprisingly, no signs of makeup. Josh must've been out for that to happen.

He got a hold of himself and greeted flatly "Hey. What do you want?"

Gabriella looked at her feet and mumbled something incoherent. Troy said "What was that?"

"A second chance." Gabriella said a little louder, looking up at him.

Pretending that he didn't know what she was talking about, Troy asked "What do you mean?"

Gabriella took a deep breath and started "I want you to give me a second chance at being with you. I've been with Josh for 5 years and I can't take it anymore. He's a nightmare. I realize that breaking up with you in high school was a mistake. Can we try this again? Please, I'll do anything."

Troy looked deep in her eyes for any traces of lying, but found none. He was about to consider it before he remembered Sharpay.

"I'm engaged Gabriella." He spoke up finally.

Gabriella nodded "I know. Can't you cancel the wedding and tell her that you met someone else?"

Troy stood there, dumbfounded at what she just said. Break up with Sharpay? That would never happen.

"No,"

"Troy-"

"I know what it's like to get that excuse from someone," Troy replied with fire "and I'm not gonna do that to Sharpay. I love her more than life itself."

Gabriella cringed. One because of when he said he knew what it was like to get that excuse and second because he always used to say that he loved _her_ more than life itself.

"Please Troy, just be a little reasonable." She said desperately. "I'll give anything. What do you want from me?"

**I hate to say it, but I told you so  
Told you if you left that you were gonna be miserable**

Troy spat back "There's nothing you can give me that will make me get back together with you. Remember that night you broke up with me? I said that when he breaks your heart, don't say I didn't tell you so! You knew that you would get hurt, but left me anyways. I overheard you talking to Taylor a few days after our breakup and you said that 'Josh is way better than Troy. I was just wasting a year of my life with him.' I'm sorry that I wasted your time as well as mine with us. So it's your own fault that you're unhappy, not mine."

**Guess he don't do it like me, or else you wouldn't be  
Runnin' back to the past, it was you that left me  
**

"I never said that it was your fault," Gabriella pleaded, stepping closer to him "I'm saying that it was my fault and I'll probably never forgive myself for that. Josh forced me to break up with you and get together with him. So what you overheard was me lying to Taylor to protect the secret. He could never replace you. He doesn't kiss me like you do, he doesn't whisper kind words in my ear when I'm about to fall asleep, and he doesn't ditch his friends to watch a chick flick with me. He's not you. He's far from it. He doesn't do anything like you."

Troy rolled his eyes and replied "I know that he's not me. Everyone does. I mean, if he's not me, why are you running back to me?"

"Exactly."

**I hate to say it, but you know I'm right  
Every time you're up and callin' for me late at night  
But now that you ain't got me, tell me where you gon' be  
'Cause I can't take you back, no my heart won't let me**

Troy shook his head "I knew this day would come. I knew that you would somehow track me down and ask me to take you back."

Gabriella nodded "I was trying to convince Josh to come visit Taylor over here, but the truth is I was just trying to run into you. Every time it rains at night over in California, I run outside to a hill that my friend showed me and just scream your name. Remember when we used to scream in the rain in high school?"

Troy nodded and, although he tried to stop it, lightly grinned.

"Yeah, well, Josh thinks that it's stupid, so I do it alone. It's definitely not the same. I miss you Troy."

"I figured that."

"Troy, come on! Just think about this!"

Troy stayed quiet for a few minutes before saying "I have. Sometimes when me and Sharpay get in a fight, I wish that she was as reasonable as you were. Sometimes when she's off on business trips, I feel lonely and just want someone to talk to."

Gabriella smiled at his kind words. "That's sweet Troy. Thank you."

Troy's eyes suddenly darkened back to the color they were when they broke up. "But right after I wish that Sharpay were you, we make up and those feelings go away. Right after I feel lonely, she comes back and I completely forget about you. I've moved on Gabriella. Why can't you?"

**Girl you know he can't touch like I do  
I don't see you trippin' or flippin' over his moves  
Don't take a genius to see he ain't that dude  
**

Gabriella let a lone tear out of her eye and looked at the ground. After a few seconds, she looked up at Troy with a shocked look in her eyes. He usually wiped away her tears for her, even if they were fighting.

"Not gonna work this time." Troy stated, staring at the tear and reading her thoughts.

Gabriella nodded sadly and wiped it away herself. "Sorry. I just missed the feeling of someone stopping my crying. Josh doesn't do it. He thinks that I'm just really weak. See? He doesn't compare to you. Not by a long shot."

Troy took a deep breath and had to strain from saying what he wanted to say. _And Sharpay doesn't compare to you, but do you see me complaining?_

"I'm sorry to hear that," He said, half sincere and half sarcastic. "But there's nothing I can do about that."

"How about giving me a second chance like I asked?"

Troy shook his head "I already said no. I can't take you back Gabriella. I just can't."

**But you let him back, you don't know what you was on  
When you said, said he was the one  
Baby yes you said, said you were in love  
When you left me you said that you wouldn't be  
Comin' back, remember that?  
****But I never agreed  
**  
Gabriella nodded and choked out "You know, I tried to run away once. He found me and took me back home. He slapped me a few times and locked me in a closet for the night and most of the next day. The only reason he let me out was because he wanted his dinner."

Troy felt that pang of guilt in his stomach again, only bigger. "That's abuse..."

"I know," Gabriella nodded, wiping her eyes again. Another tear rolled down her face and just as she was about to wipe it away, Troy beat her to it. She stood there with a light smile on her face. "I'm scared Troy."

"Why wouldn't you be?"

Gabriella shook her head "I don't know. I still have a chance to get out of this while we're engaged, but when we get married next month, that's it. I've hit rock bottom."

Troy couldn't help but feel a wave of guilt wash over him. He knew that he couldn't take Gabriella back, but he didn't want her to be in an abusive relationship with Josh. No one deserved that. Even Gabriella.

"If it happens again, call the police." Troy told her.

"But what if-" Gabriella started.

"No buts or what if's. You need to end this with him."

Gabriella shook her head "He already promised me that he won't do it again. He may be stupid, but he keeps his promises. The only other option is him cheating on me and we'll never catch him doing that. He goes to different people's houses. He never brings them over to the house."

Troy sighed and gave it some more thought. His eyes suddenly lit up as he gave her a light smile. "You know what they say. There's a first time for everything..."

--

"No."

"But-"

"No. I won't do it."

Troy exhaled through his teeth. "Come on Shar! Help me out here! What if I paid you for it?"

Sharpay turned around and glared at Troy. "There's not enough money in the world to make me do that! Forget it Troy!"

"Well then do it for Gabriella! She's the one who needs our help. Josh will kill her if she stays with him! Please! You're the last option!"

Sharpay stopped dead in her tracks when he mentioned Gabriella. "He hits her?"

"Yeah. And he cheats on her." Troy answered, starting to see some light in the situation.

Sharpay sighed. Gabriella was her friend in high school before her and Troy broke up. They weren't best friends, but they were pretty close. She rolled her eyes and turned to her fiancé saying "What do I get if I do this?"

"That new purse that you wanted."

She gasped. She had been looking at that Prada bag for months now. She just never had the money to spend on personal items.

"The 250 dollar one?"

"Yup."

"Promise?"

"Of course."

Sharpay sighed and caved in "Fine. How long?"

"Until Gabriella walks in the door. I'll give you a few signs on what to do and then you're home free, okay?"

"How long in general?"

"You need to take his shirt off and go for the buttons on his jeans. Then you say really loud "I'm so glad Gabriella's not here." and that's Gabriella's cue to walk in and break up with him. Can you do that?"

Sharpay rolled her eyes, but nodded "Fine. You're lucky I love you."

Troy smiled and pecked her on the lips. "I love you too."

--

"Can't believe I let you talk me into this..." Sharpay growled as she finished putting on her pink and purple lingerie. Troy gave her a once over and nodded "Perfect. Let's get going. Gabriella's waiting."

Sharpay put on her denim mini skirt and pink tube top with her black heels. She followed Troy out the door and got in the passenger seat of the car, trying to hold down her breakfast as she thought of what she had to do.

When they arrived at the hotel that Gabriella and Josh were staying at, they walked to the front desk and asked for the Greystones'. The lady told them what room and the couple got in the elevator and rode up to Josh and Gabriella's room.

When they found it, Sharpay took several deep breaths and said to Troy "Are you sure that _you'll_ be okay with this?"

Troy nodded "Of course. I'm setting you up to do it anyway. I'm fine with it."

Sharpay nodded and knocked on the door. Troy hid behind the corner and watched the door open. Sharpay put on a seductive grin and said "Hello Josh."

"Evans?" Josh asked, confused. "What are you doing here?"

Sharpay walked a little closer to him and ran a finger up and down his bare chest. He looked like he was just getting dressed. "I'm just here to apologize. I shouldn't have acted that way in high school and at Troy's party last night. I'm sorry. Could you ever find it in your sexy heart to forgive me?"

Josh raised his eyebrows when he saw Sharpay bat her eyebrows seductively. "What about Bolton? Aren't you engaged?"

Sharpay rolled her eyes "Oh please. He's sooo 5 years ago. I broke up with him. I'm looking for...bigger things."

Josh grinned and said "Oh really? Then you've just hit the jackpot. Gabriella's out and I'm all by myself. Or should I say, it's just you and me." Troy rolled his eyes at how easily he gave in.

Sharpay giggled and played with the hem of her shirt. "This shirt's sooo tight. How am I ever gonna get it off?"

"Maybe I can help you with that..." Josh joked, grabbing her waist and pulling her into the room. While her head was still out in the hallway, she saw Troy give her a thumbs up. She smiled back at him before her entire body disappeared into the room.

Troy walked a little closer to the door, only to hear the sound of lips smacking. Just as Sharpay let out a moan, Gabriella walked up to the door and whispered "Is she in there?"

Troy nodded and replied quietly "She's about to do it. Get your key card out." Gabriella followed orders.

A few moments later, Gabriella's cue came. "I'm sooo glad that that pathetic excuse you call a fiancé isn't here."

Gabriella slid the card into the slot and opened the door. She gasped and shrieked when she saw Sharpay straddling Josh and playing the buttons on his jeans. Sharpay's top and skirt were redirected to the floor and she was left in her pink and purple lingerie. She looked over at Gabriella and gave a sarcastic gasp.

"What the hell's going on here?!" Gabriella demanded. Thank God she was such a good actress.

Sharpay pouted "Joshie, I thought you said that she wasn't coming back until later?"

Josh glared at Gabriella and growled "She wasn't."

"Josh how could you do this to me?! I wash your clothes, I cook, I clean, and I have to deal with your day to day shit and this is how you repay me?! Huh?! Well guess what?! We're over! Goodbye and good riddance!!" With that, the brunette stomped out of the room.

"Fine! I don't need you!" Josh bellowed back at her. He shoved Sharpay off of him, grabbed his shirt, and walked down the hallway towards the bar in the café downstairs.

Sharpay grinned to herself proudly. She grabbed her clothes and after she dressed herself, she walked outside to see Gabriella hugging Troy tightly. They separated and Troy ran over to Sharpay. He kissed her and congratulated "You did great baby. I almost thought it was real for a second."

Sharpay shook her head with a scrunched nose and replied "No way! It was like kissing a dumpster! He tastes horrible!"

Gabriella nodded "I know, doesn't he?"

Sharpay nodded and said "Well, now that that's finally over with, what are you gonna do now?"

Gabriella sighed "I don't know. Just stay with my mom until I get a house of my own. Josh is probably gonna keep it."

Sharpay smirked "You know, I think Ryan's single."

Gabriella blushed "I always did think he was cute..."

"I'll give you his number." Sharpay took Gabriella's phone and added Ryan into the phonebook. Gabriella took her phone back and hugged Sharpay, saying "Thanks Shar. I owe you big time."

"Don't worry about it. I'm just glad to help." She then whispered in Troy's ear "When am I getting that purse?"

Troy laughed and replied "On our honeymoon. Promise."

Sharpay pecked his lips before taking the keys and walking down to the car, leaving Troy and Gabriella alone.

"So you and Ryan," Troy smiled "Never saw that one coming."

Gabriella shook her head "I know. I had a small crush on him while we were going out, but he never compares to you."

Troy sighed and walked over to his ex "Gabby, I know that you miss us being together. I do too, but I...I just can't find it in my heart to take you back. I'm sorry."

Gabriella nodded and shrugged "Well I tried. At least I got one good thing out of this."

**I hate to say it, but I told you so  
Told you if you left that you were gonna be miserable  
Guess he don't do it like me, or else you wouldn't be  
Runnin' back to the past, it was you that left me  
I hate to say it, but you know I'm right  
Every time you're up be callin' for me late at night  
But now that you ain't got me, tell me where you gon' be  
'Cause I can't take you back, no my heart won't let me  
**  
Troy nodded and after that, silence. After a few minutes of that, Gabriella spoke up "I guess I should pack my stuff before Josh gets back. Where does Ryan live?"

"About 2 hours from here."

"Do you think he'll take me in as a friend?"

"Of course. He took an employee in when their house burned down. He's sure to take in an old friend."

Gabriella smiled and gave Troy one last hug. Troy hugged her back and inhaled her scent. Strawberry. Just as it was in high school.

"Thanks Troy. Is it safe to say I still love you?" A glint of hope shone in her brown eyes.

Troy nodded with a smile. He kissed her forehead and said "Don't tell Sharpay, but I still love you a little."

Gabriella smiled and kissed his cheek. "Thanks. You're a good guy Troy."

"Thanks. You're a good woman Gabby."

Gabriella smiled one last time before saying "Oh yeah. Since he'll probably take the car too, can you give me a ride to Ryan's house?"

Troy nodded "Sure. I think you should call him first."

"I'll call after I'm done packing. I'll walk to your house from here."

Troy nodded and waved. After that, he walked off down the hallway to his car.

Gabriella sighed and walked into the room. She spent 20 minutes packing and just as she was about to leave, she grabbed a piece of paper from her purse and wrote a short note to Josh. She threw it on the bed before dashing out the door and headed over to Troy and Sharpay's house.

--

Josh crashed into his hotel room that night, totally wasted. He stumbled over to the toilet and puked his guts up, getting rid of the sick feeling he felt. He rinsed his mouth out and dizzily walked over to the bed. Through his blurry vision, he saw a piece of paper on the comforter. He picked it up with a shaky hand and opened it. He read:

**You fall on hard times it seems  
But you ain't gettin' no sympathy  
No baby not from me  
'Cause I told you, you should never leave  
See you chose this road, so you gotta go it alone  
Remember I told you so  
**

"Oh please," he slurred, throwing the note in the trash and knowing what she meant by it. His mother was in the hospital for breast cancer and he forced Gabriella to give him sympathy.

Without another thought, the drunken blonde fell asleep.

--

The next day, Gabriella stood at Ryan's footsteps, staring at the door. He told her that it would be okay if she stayed there, but she was still having doubts. Would it really work between them?

She sighed and took a chance. She knocked on the door and waited for an answer. She smiled when she saw Ryan's green eyes connect with her brown ones. He gave her a friendly smile and took her bags, saying "Good to see you again Gabby."

"Same here Ryan."

An hour later, Gabriella and Ryan were at the mall, checking out Double-0-Evans.

"Wow, it's beautiful in here!" Gabriella gasped.

"Didn't you say that you had a lot of clothes from here?" Ryan asked, confused.

Gabriella nodded "Yeah I do. I had to order from the internet because Josh wouldn't let me go shopping."

Ryan shook his head and said "I always hated that guy."

Gabriella laughed and nodded. "Didn't everyone?"

They shared a laugh before a song came on the sound system.

**I hate to say it, but I told you so  
Told you if you left that you were gonna be miserable  
Guess he don't do it like me, or else you wouldn't be  
Runnin' back to the past, it was you that left me  
I hate to say it, but you know I'm right  
Every time you're up and callin' for me late at night  
But now that you ain't got me, tell me where you gon' be  
'Cause I can't take you back, no my heart won't let me...**

Ryan took a deep breath and said "Gabby, can I ask you something?"

"Yeah." She replied, still admiring the store.

"What would you do if I asked you to have dinner with me tonight?"

Gabriella turned to him and smiled. "I would accept that offer."

Ryan smiled, took Gabriella's hand in his, and kissed it. "Then it's a date."

Gabriella smiled and blushed. The two walked out of the store hand in hand.

"_So there really are happy endings..."_ Gabriella thought to herself as she got in the passenger seat of Ryan's car and driving back to his house to prepare for their romantic night together.

* * *

**Bletch!! I hate Troypay and Ryella!! Anyways, there's the story. The song is Told You So by Jesse McCartney. It's my fave song off of his new album :)**

**Also, if you want an epilogue, just send it as a request in your REVIEW!! Thnx :)**

**Rachel :)**


End file.
